height Acura TL 2002 3.2 Owner's Manual

Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt so the lap part f its snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack from the
shoulder part, then check that the
belt rests across the center of your
chest and over your shoulder. This
spreads the f orces of a crash over
the strongest bones in your upper
body.
If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm
instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety16
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.
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To adjust the height of a f ront seat
belt anchor, press the release button
and slide the anchor up or down as
needed (it has f our positions).This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash. If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
Anyone using a seat belt that is
not working properly can be
seriously injured or killed. Have your
Acura dealer check the belt as soon
as possible. See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belt
system and how to take care of your
belts.
44
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back. No one should
sit in a seat wit h an inoperat ive seat belt.
17
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Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back. Inf ants up to about
one year of age must be restrained in
a rear-f acing child seat.In this car, a rear-f acing child seat
canbeplacedinanyseatingposition
in the back seat, but not in the f ront
seat.
We recommend that an inf ant be
restrained in a rear-f acing child seat
until the inf ant reaches the seat
maker’s weight or height limit and is
able to sit up without support.
Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode. If the passenger’s
f ront airbag inf lates, it can hit the
back of the child seat with enough
forcetokillorseriouslyinjurean
inf ant. If an inf ant must be closely
watched, we recommend that
another adult sit in the back seat
with the baby.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision.
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype
Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe front seat.
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat ina f orward-f acing position.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety30
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.
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Forproperprotection,aninfantmust
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby’s
doctor or f ollow the seat maker’s
recommendations.
To achieve the desired reclining
angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat,
as shown.
To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract.
A child who can sit up without
support, and who f its within the child
seat maker’s weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
f orward-f acing, upright child seat.
Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown.
CONT INUED
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ionTips
Child Seat T ypeProtecting Small Children
33
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If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the car, and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.
We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat.
In this car, the best place to install a
f orward-f acing child seat is in one of
the seating positions in the back seat.
If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to cause
very serious or f atal injuries. If a
small child must be closely watched,
we recommend that another adult sit
in the back seat with the child.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Child Seat Placement
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat int he f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
34
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front
seat can result in serious injury
or death if the front airbags
inflate.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible and properly restrain
the child.
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CONT INUED
When a child reaches the
recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the
child should sit in the back seat and
wear a lap/shoulder belt.
If a child is too short f or the shoulder
part of the belt to properly f it, we
recommend that the child use a
booster seat until the child is tall
enough to use the seat belt without a
booster.
The f ollowing pages give
instructions on how to check proper
seat belt f it, what kind of booster
seat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions f or a child
who must sit in the f ront seat.To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly f its a child, have the child
put on the seat belt. Follow the
instructions on page . Then check
how the belt f its.
If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child’s collarbone and
against the center of the chest, as
shown, the child is large enough to
wear the seat belt.15
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting L arger ChildrenChecking Seat Belt Fit
37
Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
passenger’s front airbag inflates.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible
and wears the seat belt properly.
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CONT INUED
A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of the ears are
even with the top of the seat-back. A
child of this height should be tall
enough to use the lap/shoulder belt
without a booster.The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
The back seat is the saf est place f or
a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger’s f ront
airbag poses serious risks to children.
If the seat is too f ar f orward, or the
child’s head is thrown f orward
during a collision, or the child is
unrestrained or out of position, an
inf lating f ront airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
The side airbag also poses risks. If
any part of a larger child’s body is in
the path of a deploying airbag, the
child could receive possibly serious
injuries.Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can saf ely ride in the
f ront, there are other important
f actors you should consider.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front
39
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To remove a head restraint f or
cleaning or repair, pull it up as f ar as
it will go. Push the release button
and pull the restraint out of the seat-
back.
The f ront head restraints help
protect you and your passenger f rom
whiplash and other injuries. They are
most ef f ective when you adjust them
so the back of the occupant’s head
rests against the center of the
restraint. A taller person should
adjust the restraint as high as
possible. The head restraints adjust f or height and tilt. You need both hands to
adjust the restraint. Do not attempt
to adjust it while driving. To raise it,
pull upward. To lower the restraint,
push the release button sideways
and push the restraint down. To
adjust the tilt, pivot the head
restraint to the desired position.
See page f or important saf ety
inf ormation and a warning about how toproperly position the head restraints. 15
Seat A djustments
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Head Restraints
91
R RE
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SEE B
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In addition, any modif ications that
decrease ground clearance increase
the chance of undercarriage parts
striking a curb, speed bump, or other
raised object, which could cause
your airbags to deploy.
Do not modif y your steering wheel
or any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modif ications could make the
system inef f ective.
Do not remove any original
equipment or modif y your car in any
way that would alter its design or
operation. This could make your car
unsaf e and illegal to drive.
For example, do not make any
modif ications that would change the
ride height of your car, or install
wheels and tires with a dif f erent
overall diameter.
Such modif ications can adversely
af f ect handling, and interf ere with
the operation of the car’s anti-lock
brakes and other systems. If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
car and hurt someone.
Covering the outside edge of a
f ront seat-back, with a non-Acura
seat cover for example, could
prevent the airbag from inflating
properly.
Any object
attached to or placed on the covers
marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG,’’ in the
center of the steering wheel and
on top of the dashboard, could
interf ere with the proper operation
of the airbags. Or, if the airbags
inf late, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt
someone.
Modif ications
Additional Saf ety Precautions
A ccessories and Modif ications
Bef ore Driving
Do not at t ach hard object s on ornear a f ront door.
Do not place any object s over t heoutsideedgeof afront seat-back.
Do not at t ach or place object s on the f ront airbag covers.
172
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µµ
µ
µ
The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will af f ect your
vehicle’s handling and perf ormance,
so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and
techniques.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyof
others,taketimetopracticedriving
maneuvers bef ore heading f or the
open road, and f ollow the guidelines
discussed below. Maketurnsmoreslowlyandwider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your vehicle, and it
canhitorrunoversomethingthe
vehicle misses. Allow more time and
distance f or braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknif e or turn over.
When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red (Hot) mark, turn the air
conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.
If the transmission shif ts f requently
between 4th and 5th gears while
going up a hill, shif t to D . And if the
transmission shif ts f requently
between 3rd and 4th gears, shif t to
D.
Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits f or vehicles with trailers.
Use the D or D position when
towing a trailer on level roads. D is
the proper shif t lever position to use
when towing a trailer in hilly terrain.
(See ‘‘
’’ in the
f ollowing column f or additional gear
inf ormation.) When towing a trailer in the
Sequential SportShif t mode, select
Fourth, Third, Second, or First gear;
depending on the vehicle speeds and
road condition. Do not use Fif th gear.
The recommended speed range f or
each gear position is shown in the
table.
Gear position 1
2
3, 4 Speed range
037mph
(0 60 km/h)
12 68 mph
over 25 mph
(over 40 km/h)
4
3
54
3
(20 110 km/h)
Driving Saf ely With a T railer
T owing Speeds and Gears Making T urns and Braking
Driving on Hills
Driving on Hills
Towing a Trailer
Driving206
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